Cleaning

[Hogni]

I have noticed on some threads on this forum and on other forums that fanciers seem to clean thier lofts way to much, drinkers are cleaned regularly and so on. I´ve also asked around and found the same pattern.

 

So i ask what do you do?

And more important, why do you do it?

[Guest WINGS 04]

I like to clean my loft most days but it is more for me then the birds

[hotrod]

I keep my loft clean ,very clean during racing season 3 or 4 times a day , 1- because it keeps disease at bay,2-it looks/feels better,3- any $hit lying around gives off amonia and this affects the respitory tract and lungs and if not checked will cause the lungsto be damaged beyond repair. i use harkers loft treatment on the floor as well .in fact sometimes when fanciers come to visit i carry my scraper about with me and clean up nearly every time a bird $hits( obsessed or what?).

[Guest]

I keep my loft clean ,very clean during racing season 3 or 4 times a day , 1- because it keeps disease at bay,2-it looks/feels better,3- any $hit lying around gives off amonia and this affects the respitory tract and lungs and if not checked will cause the lungsto be damaged beyond repair. i use harkers loft treatment on the floor as well .in fact sometimes when fanciers come to visit i carry my scraper about with me and clean up nearly every time a bird $hits( obsessed or what?).

 

Bobby Thomas of Merthyr one of those unsung fanciers who has been a top flyer for decades including winning the Welsh Grand National from Lerwick in early 80's did /does exactly the same. Everytime I went in his loft there would always be whitening on the floor and the odd dropping.

I must admit however to using easybed, which if the loft is dry is as good in my opinion. The main draw back however is the dust , which you don't get if you are as spotless as Bobby and hotrod

[little sam]

Once Per day, They need rest so thats what they get, How would you like somone coming into your room just as your going to sleep or relaxing then putting thr hoover on  

[NW USA]

I have a small loft with few birds, takes about 10 minutes to scrape perches, nestboxes and floor. Daylight permitting I do it twice a day. This is as much for me and my family as the birds. I want my kids to come in the loft and see whats happening with the birds and not be knee deep in crap or I may need to call my wife to feed them. I use two sets of drinkers so they can have clean ones daily. Its much cheaper then medicine, drinkers are the primary source of spreading disease through your flock.

[Guest strapper]

I have a small loft with few birds, takes about 10 minutes to scrape perches, nestboxes and floor. Daylight permitting I do it twice a day. This is as much for me and my family as the birds. I want my kids to come in the loft and see whats happening with the birds and not be knee deep in crap or I may need to call my wife to feed them. I use two sets of drinkers so they can have clean ones daily. Its much cheaper then medicine, drinkers are the primary source of spreading disease through your flock.

 

try adding cider vinegar into your drinkers, will cut down on diseases.

also its well known to add a tea spoon of household bleach in the drinker.

[hotrod]

Once Per day, They need rest so thats what they get, How would you like somone coming into your room just as your going to sleep or relaxing then putting thr hoover on  

just to answer this post , i or you go into the loft as it is your loft, you feed your birds in your loft the birds know you and it's you who feeds them , you or i have been doing this since they were born so they should be used to it, well my birds are and it does'nt affect my birds performances , i know i would not like to stand or walk all over $hite all day .I know if i cleaned out in the morning by lunchtime, never mind 24hrs, there would be some amount of $hit in my loft and i dont keep a big team, so if you like to keep your birds like this fine, i know i would'nt have pigeons if they were'nt cleaned out properly.

 

 

[Guest lvlasked]

sayin all this some people dont have to time in there lives to clean even onces a day i no a couple people can only do it once a week but there lofts to me dont seem that bad

[Guest kev d]

i clean out 3 times a day in the racing season and once a day in winter .

i think if you can,t be botherd then you can,t be botherd to clean your house

you would not live in a s--t hole at home so why let your birds live in one .

jmo

[ALF]

at this time of year i dont clean the loft out that much to be honest and i never clean the nests until the y/b's leave ( just the way i was taught by my uncle and he did alright ) but when the racing starts i will clean the loft at least once a day as i am there at least 3 or 4 times a day ( my loft is 3/4's of a mile from my house ) but every one to there own as long as my loft is dry and the ventilation is ok thats all i care about

[Guest strapper]

althought this thread is about cleaning, i dont think there is ANY evidence that a clean loft produces more winners or likewise for deep litter.

just enjoy your birds and as everyone has their own way of how they want their lofts ,so be it.

i know of many lofts that have either clean/deep litter and they all win out of turn.

just remember the boscheind flyers have deep litter in their lofts and swear by it,its dry and they have many top winners

 

[jimmy white]

I have noticed on some threads on this forum and on other forums that fanciers seem to clean thier lofts way to much, drinkers are cleaned regularly and so on. I´ve also asked around and found the same pattern.

 

So i ask what do you do?

And more important, why do you do it?

 

lofts are cleaned to keep desease down,, scraping is one way,, a good deep litter is another ,, but a build up of damp droppings in any loft, will be a haven for cocci, worms etc, this would also throw off a strong amonia,and  bad for pigeons respiratory system.

 

drinkers left , will collect dust etc, then form an algae, which in my opinion can contain bacteria,, [comunial drinkers   can be the biggest threat of spreading any desease, if left to gather dirt]   better with fresh" tapolene"  ;D ;D ;D as often as poss,,,,,it costs nowt [a true scot ;D]

[Guest monkeynuts71]

lofts been up a month, so its relativly easy to keep clean. as for cleaning the drinkers it just keeps them clean. thats where every bird goes everyday so i feel should be clean

[fletch]

clean my birds 2 times a day morning before work and before feeding time after work were the water is changed every day,

I like them clean nor walking around on poo and the loft always looks better when it clean and as i only have stock birds at home , dad cleans the race time 2 times a day when they go out they get cleaned, and surely if you do it more often its easier to do and doesnt take so long

[Guest kev d]

yes every ones different with there systems about cleaning , but im just one of those who loves keeping is loft

nice and clean same goes for my birds , i dont keep many so it,s not a burden they want for nothing and to me it,s a labour

of love .

[david.j]

a friend of mine topped the up north combine last year and hasnt cleaned out for 4 years

[hotrod]

a friend of mine topped the up north combine last year and hasnt cleaned out for 4 years

 

more likely it was a blow home and/or a youngbird race.

[david.j]

wasnt either hotrod

[jock3]

clean the loft 3 or 4 times a day in fact it also good for the birds to seeing  you in the loft two

[greenlands]

I keep my loft clean ,very clean during racing season 3 or 4 times a day , 1- because it keeps disease at bay,2-it looks/feels better,3- any $hit lying around gives off amonia and this affects the respitory tract and lungs and if not checked will cause the lungsto be damaged beyond repair. i use harkers loft treatment on the floor as well .in fact sometimes when fanciers come to visit i carry my scraper about with me and clean up nearly every time a bird $hits( obsessed or what?).

Same here mate,the lofts are at the  back door more or less,every time I'm down the garden I'm in the loft tormenting young birds and playing with the oldens,they love it and so do I.Lindsay

 

[hotrod]

wasnt either hotrod

 

ok then what race? and if you think that not cleaning out for four years is ok then your as bad as him jmo

[Guest strapper]

i think this thread is starting to get a bit heated...cmon guys...its an innocent thread...lets keep it that way...otherwise they will lock it.

i feel what ever way you clean your loft is entirely upto you  

 

[david.j]

 

ok then what race? and if you think that not cleaning out for four years is ok then your as bad as him jmo

 

it was the 2nd folkestone ob national the pigeon was a yearling that topped combine and was not a flash in the pan as it topped fed in 2007 as a yb i didnt once say that not cleaning out for 4 years was ok as i clean out everyday without fail was just trying to say winners can come from all sorts of lofts ok hotrod

[Guest Owen]

There two types of clean at least. There is clinically clean as in free from disease carrying organisms and there is the sort of clean most of our lofts are. Floors, drinkers and feeding troughs are usually contaminated and it would be just about impossible to have them totally free from contamination. In any case we are walking bug hotels and carry bugs everywhere with us. So, we are probably cleaning for the look of things and our own comfort. However, I learned the hard way, from when I kept sheep, that the worst enemy of a sheep is another sheep. Healthwise that is. So I am very careful about who comes to my loft and I never allow a stray in at all.

I have always kept my young birds very clean but in spite of my best efforts I always get some YBS every year. I have learned to expect it and I make sure I prepare for it by having the medication in ready. After having a conversation with a vet, in which he suggested that I have been much too fussy and I could be doing more harm than good, I have decided to change. According to what the Vet said and what I have read since, birds need to build up their immunity and that it is no accident that they peck at all sorts of things. This includes their own droppings. Something I have definately tried to avoid them doing. Well it seems that I have probably been wrong. Immunity comes with the gradual exposure to the various pathogens that are in the droppings. According to what I have been reading, it is important to expose the birds to dry droppings. Apparently dry droppings do not carry worms or cocci so in that sense is fairly safe. So this year I have decided to give it a go. It will be deep litter for me. Mind you, I will have to be careful about the state of my boots when I go to the house because my dear wife will go balistic if I carry any of it there. I would be very interested in the views the rest of you to what I have said.